In pictures: British Airways plane fire

In pictures: British Airways plane fire

1/5
British Airways plane fire

Smoke billows out from a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport

2/5
British Airways plane fire

A British Airways jet caught fire at Las Vegas' airport, prompting the crew to abort takeoff and evacuate terrified passengers. Seven people on board the London-bound flight were treated for minor injuries

3/5
British Airways plane fire

The Federal Aviation Administration said the fire broke out in the left engine of the 257-seat Boeing 777 shortly after 4:00 pm (2300 GMT) and a probe was underway to determine the cause

4/5
British Airways plane fire

The damaged aircraft on the runway at McCarren International Airport

5/5
British Airways plane fire

Firefighters enter a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport

The aircraft was travelling between 40 and 100mph on the runway when the captain realised it was on fire and slammed down the breaks.

Mr Henkey is heard speaking calmly in audio footage of the dialogue with traffic controller.

"Mayday, mayday, Speedbird 2276 request fire services," he said.

The woman in the control tower immediately replied: "Heavy fire services on the way."

Forty seconds later Mr Henkey added: "We are evacuating on the runway. We have a fire. I repeat, we are evacuating."

BA issued a statement which said the plane "experienced a technical issue".

However, investigations to pinpoint the exact cause are ongoing.

One line of inquiry is like to surround reports that the plane’s fire suppression equipment was deployed but failed to extinguish the blaze, a source close to the investigation told CNN.

The state of the plane’s equipment and whether the fire spread due to a ruptured fuel line will also be looked into.